Blue Waters
by cup of coffee
Summary: It's vacation, and Kaoru's got nothing to do. Her stepbrother calls her one rainy day for a favor: to pose as his betrothed. Will she accept, & what happens after?
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer**: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine, and if it were, then I'd be a millionaire by now. ^^x It belongs to Watsuki Nobuhiro, and I'm just borrowing the characters. **Blue Waters **plot and text is mine however. I won't tolerate any plagiarizers copying any off my stuff. 

**Notes**: The idea of this story came from a book my friend bought in History class. It was really old and yellow having come from her grandmother. I decided to take a look at the synopsis and found it interesting that I read two full chapters of it during Speech class. ^^x This story is Alternate Universe, and I made Sano Kaoru's stepbrother. How and why they came to be that way will be explained later on. Misao's Kaoru's best friend. To tell you more would spoil the suspense. Just read on and find out! Please don't forget to review after! ^^x

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**Blue Waters  
**by: Yuna / cup of coffee   
mail: coffee_cup@email.com 

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**Part**** 1: The Plot   
**

Rain.

It feel in torrents, the steady downpour on the roof becoming deafening. Unable to concentrate on her reading, she turned on the television and began surfing for a decent program. Tough luck, there was none. All that was showing was the news, and she didn't want to hear any of it. It was the same thing every day and she was yearning for some change. Everything in her life had been going smoothly that she was aching for something to go wrong... 

What a wish. 

And yet she wanted it.

But she didn't know when it would be granted. 

The phone rang. She stood up from her spot on the couch and went to answer it, hoping that the caller would be someone worth talking to. 

"Hello?" 

"Jo-chan!" 

She recognized the voice instantly. 

"Sano! Hey! Why'd you call?" she asked. 

"Nothing much, just to have a little chat and ask you about something," the other replied. "How are you?" 

"Bored. It's raining hard here and I can't go out," she replied. "How about you?" 

"_You, _of all people, should know about my situation here in the seaside. I just don't understand why oto-san placed me here," Sano grumbled. "The sun's fine and all, but the women are getting too out of hand." 

"Out of hand?" 

"They're chicks, yes, but they're too aggressive. I don't like it." 

From the other side of the line, Kaoru began to laugh. 

"What's so funny Jo-chan?" Sano asked, his tone not too pleased. 

"Well, it's the first time I heard Sagara Sanosuke dislike a woman's company," Kaoru giggled. "I mean, all you did back in university was try to get a girlfriend." 

"And get good marks mind you," Sano added defiantly. "At least I made it to the top ten." 

"Haha, yeah, number nine," Kaoru giggled again. 

"But at least --" 

"Yes yes I get the picture," she smiled through the phone. She was beginning to enjoy this conversation. 

"Jo-chan, I have a favor to ask you," Sano said suddenly becoming serious. "Are you game?"

"Hmm, depends on the favor," she replied, checking her nails for dirt. "What is it?" 

"Well, you do know my situation..." 

"Yes?" 

"And at this rate I won't get my masters..." 

"So?" 

"Since you're on vacation, I need you to come here and help me." 

"What kind of help Sano?" 

"Pretend to be my fiancé for a month or two. I mean, you won't start working until next next month and by that time I'll have graduated. I don't want to disappoint oto-san... Besides, you don't have much to do, you said so yourself, so why not join me here, by the beach, sun, sand, you get the picture, and do me a favor," Sano said. "So, you game?" 

There was silence. 

"Jo-chan, you there?" 

"And why should I do that?! Sano, do you realize what you just asked me?!" Kaoru breathed, a brow raised. 

"Yes, I do realize what I had said. I am not drunk, I am perfectly sane and I'm not sick," Sano muttered. "Now what, you going to accept? You very well know that you can't refuse your brother..." 

"Don't forget the prefix," Kaoru snapped. 

"Alright, _step_brother. But we're just like siblings, aren't we Jo-chan? So, whaddaya say?" 

"Why don't you ask Misao? She's living closer to your area." 

"You kidding? Me and that weasel? Yuck. Then I'd rather have all those other women around me," Sano said. "Besides, if it's me and the weasel then sooner or later we're going to have to really get hitched, and neither of us would want that. With you, it'll be easier to believe when we say that we're not actually engaged. We have the papers, give our parents' marriage contract, show our IDs, passport... 

"Yes yes I get the picture Sano," Kaoru interrupted before he started getting carried away. 

"So what, do you agree Jo-chan, or you'd rather sulk at home and get bored to death..." 

"Well it's just for two months..." 

"Right. Two months won't hurt," Sano said, hoping that his stepsister would agree. All he had to do was say the right stuff, and Kaoru would agree in no time. If she didn't, then there was no other girl in the world he could ask the same favor of. He couldn't very well ask the kitsune... Damn he'd be dead before he even got an answer. 

"Sure Sano!" Kaoru exclaimed, a wide grin on her face. "I'll go. So when?" 

"YAHOO!!" he screamed into the phone stinging Kaoru's ears. "Thanks Jo-chan! Thank you! You're so great!! You can start tomorrow. I'll pick you up there at your apartment tomorrow morning, ten a.m. You'll start your job tomorrow night at this party I'm attending. Lots of friends of mine will be there plus the girls." 

"But where will I stay?" Kaoru asked. 

"Call Misao, ask if you could stay at her place. Actually, you don't need to call. She'd let you stay there anyways anytime." 

"Right. Misao. So..." 

"That's it Jo-chan. Thank you so much! I owe you." 

"You _so_ owe me," Kaoru muttered under her breath. 

"Ja ne!" 

And with that he put the phone down. 

Kaoru sighed. 

Now what had she gotten into? Well, posing as her stepbrother's fiancé shouldn't be much of a problem. After all, Sano was like a real brother and her best guy friend, so she should be comfortable around him. Besides, it would be fun. How many girls get to pose as their stepbrother's betrothed? She began to giggle to herself. 

This would be a wonderful change for her, something she had been looking for ever since she started vacation. The beach would be a good place to hang out and have fun, and who knows? She might even get to meet a cute guy. Her grin widened. Misao would be with her so she won't have to worry on loneliness. There'll be constant nights out, knowing Sano, plus some other interesting things. She walked to her room, thoughts of what the next two months would be like flooding her mind. But before she could pack, she had to call Misao. 

There was a loud beep from the street. Taking a small peek through the curtains, the young girl found her stepbrother's red sports car parked in front of her door. Kaoru grabbed her luggage as Sano opened the door of her two storey apartment. She motioned for him to take her luggage which he obligingly did so. The sun was shining brightly now, and you wouldn't have believed that it was raining cats and dogs the other night. He heaved her luggage into the trunk of his car and let his stepsister get in. Once he too was inside, she gave him a small peck on the cheek in greeting and Sano started the car. 

"So, you ready?" Sano asked, his grin from ear to ear. 

Kaoru merely shrugged her shoulders, her face in a slight pout. Sano shook his head.

"Whatever Jo-chan," Sano said, driving off. 

"I have a name you know... And you'd better start calling me that if we're going to pull this off right..." 

"Alright, _Kaoru_." 

Kaoru smiled in satisfaction. 

"Finally I can get you to calling me by my first name!" she exclaimed in delight. 

Her stepbrother just gave a small smirk and began to drive south. It would take them a couple of hours before they'd arrive at Sano's place, and so if they were going to catch the party that night they would have to cut back on stopovers. It was a good thing Sano bought some sandwiches they could eat along the way, and the two had an amiable conversation all the way to the seaside. Sano told her about his friends and all those girls who were distracting him from his studies. Women was one of his weaknesses, and so he needed his stepsister's help to pass his exams. 

"Do your friends know I'm actually your stepsister?" Kaoru asked. 

"They know oto-san remarried, but they don't know that his new wife has a daughter named Kamiya Kaoru," Sano replied. "Only Aoshi knows about you, and I'm sure you've met him." 

"Yup, around a year ago. Misao introduced him to me," Kaoru said. "By the way, who'll be there at the party?" 

"Just a couple of friends from high school. Sort of a mini-reunion actually. Aoshi's gonna be there of course, but I don't know with the weasel. You might want to tag her along so you'll have someone to talk to. I mightn't be able to attend to you much with my pals around..." 

"And to think I'm your fiancé," Kaoru chided jokingly, shaking her head in disapproval for added effect. 

"Whatever," was the only reply. 

"Tell me about your friends," Kaoru said. 

"Okay. For one thing, did you know Aoshi isn't actually my best friend?" Sano told her. 

"Really?" 

"Yup. He isn't. Aoshi's just a close buddy, and we got even closer ever since my real best friend left Japan to go overseas." 

"What's he doing overseas?" Kaoru asked curiously. 

"He's the captain of one of his father's ships." 

"Huh? His father's?" She was getting more and more bewildered. 

"See that friend of mine's a traveler. His heart was set on seeing the whole world when we were kids. We were both had the same dreams, but he was the only one who got to pursue it," Sano explained. "His father owns a series of cargo ships and cruisers that travel worldwide, so my friend took the opportunity to travel. He's in charge of his father's best cruiser, which docks close to my place twice a year, this month and every December." 

"I see. Interesting occupation. So he stays at your house when he visits?" Kaoru asked. 

"No. He's got his own house a few blocks away from mine," Sano said. 

"What's his name?" 

"Himura. Himura Kenshin." 

"Ooh... " Kaoru said, then grinned. "You'll introduce me won't you?" 

"Of course I will. How're my friends supposed to know that you're my so-called girlfriend? Kenshin's a bad liar, the worst I've ever met, so I can't tell him that you're actually my stepsister, or else our act won't work," Sano told her. "And besides, if Kenshin believes it then everyone else believes it. He's sort of the leader." 

Kaoru smiled. 

"You know what Sano," Kaoru began. 

"What?" he replied, waiting for a continuation. 

"I think playing pretend is going to be fun," she finished, a sly glint in her eyes. 

Sano responded with a hearty laugh, the same glint in his eyes. 

"Of course! Was this the first time you found out pulling other people's legs can be fun?" 

"You can say that again," she answered, just as Sano turned the wheel to the right.

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**Note: **To be continued! ^^x


	2. First Meeting

**Disclaimer**: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine, and if it were, then I'd be a millionaire by now. ^^x It belongs to Watsuki Nobuhiro, and I'm just borrowing the characters. **Blue Waters **plot and text is mine however. I won't tolerate any plagiarizers copying anything off my stuff. 

**Notes**: Thank you everyone for the nice reviews. ^_^ I already changed the settings so anonymous reviews are now accepted. ^_^ Here's part 3, i hope you like it.

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**Blue Waters  
**by: Yuna / cup of coffee   
mail: coffee_cup@email.com 

_----------_

**Part 2: First Meeting  
  
  
**"Kaoru-chan!!" came a shrill voice from the Aoiya's gate just as Sano opened the trunk of his red sports car. He let out a slightly exasperated sigh, and inwardly began to count until a lean frame would open the wooden gates and squeal in delight. He was right though. Just as he had counted three, the gates swung open and Misao jumped at his stepsister. Kaoru however was not complaining. She was very much used to her best friend's manners and was actually delighted to see her friend her same old self. 

"You're here!" Misao exclaimed, hugging Kaoru really tight. She almost couldn't breathe. 

"Oi better stop that there weasel," Sano cut in. "You don't want to kill your best friend." 

At that instant Misao's eyes darkened. 

"And who said I wanted to kill her? I'd be more interested in killing you than Kaoru!" she shot back. 

Sano was about to open his mouth and speak when Kaoru interrupted him. 

"You both stop," she chided, steering Misao away from him. In a low whisper, she asked her best friend, "You know why I'm here right?" 

Misao nodded, giggling. 

"Kaoru-chan I never thought you had it in you!" she giggled. "I thought you weren't the type to play tricks on people!" 

"Okina knows?" Kaoru asked. 

"Hai, and I told him to keep it a secret," Misao reassured her. Kaoru sighed in relief. 

"So how's business doing?" Sano asked, his stepsister's luggage in both hands. 

"Well this branch is doing fine," Misao said. "I never thought that this Aoiya would be as successful as the main branch Jiya maintains, but it's doing great! People from all over the place are coming here just to eat! Omasu and I are so happy!" 

"Glad to hear that Misao-chan," Kaoru grinned. 

"Oh, the both of you must be hungry! Come in, Omasu prepared something for the both of you," Misao said, steering them both inside. 

And the two of them let her steer them in, not complaining at all since their stomachs were growling themselves.

The food was delicious! Omasu had the cooks prepare the house specialty for their guests while Misao entertained them. As much as she would've wanted to join them and chat, she couldn't, since it was nearing the peak hours at the restaurant and more and more people were coming in. She would not hear however that Misao join her at work, and insisted that the young girl stay with their new company. 

As they were eating away at one of the private rooms, Sano suddenly remembered something.

"Ah, Misao, did you hear anything from Aoshi yet?" Sano asked. 

Misao thought for a moment before she suddenly turned serious. 

"Oh yeah! Aoshi-sama called up a while ago and he asked me to tell you that Himura had just arrived," Misao told him.

"Really?!" Sano blurted out, almost choking on his soup. "Where are they?!" 

"Hmm, when he called me through his cellphone around 15 minutes ago they just came from the docks," Misao replied. "He said that they'd be going to his house straightaway." 

"Alright! He's here! I'll be going now. But it'll take some time to get to Kenshin's house from the docks," Sano told no one in particular. "In the meantime, Jo-chan, you'd better get ready. We have a party to attend remember?" 

Kaoru merely nodded as she ate some sushi. 

"You want to go?" he asked Misao, who pointed at herself once asked. "Yeah, you." 

"Aoshi-sama's going?" 

Sano nodded. "Jo-chan might need company." 

"Of course!" she smiled. "And you had to ask." 

"So I'll be going then," Sano rose and headed towards the door. "See ya in two hours!" 

And with that he was gone. 

"Hmm, so, let's get you settled in then Kaoru-chan," Misao said just as the other girl put down her chopsticks. 

"Hai!" 

In his four wheeler auto, Aoshi was talking amiably with his friend. Having been gone for months, there was indeed a lot to catch up with. Unfortunately, Aoshi was a man of few words, and his friend was finding it quite hard to get him to talk about the past few months he had been gone. They were approaching his house fast, and he silently hoped that Sano would be there upon their arrival. 

The car took one final turn before their destination came into sight, and a red automobile was already parked in front of it, meaning Sano had already arrived. Aoshi parked the car and they both hopped off. Then an elderly man opened the door, and he greeted his young master warmly. 

"Himura-sama, nice to have you back," the old man greeted, the smile on his face happy and sincere. "Sagara-sama is already inside waiting." 

"Yawato-san, it's nice to see you again," his young master smiled, giving the old man a hug. It was then when Sano's head peeked out of the door. 

"Kenshin! Oi!" he called out, walking up to greet his friend. "I see one thing's never changed. Hair's still long and red as ever and you still got that scar." 

"Sano," the redhead chuckled as Sano patted him at the back. "Nice to see you." 

"So Aoshi picked you up, I hope you weren't bored to death," he joked. 

Aoshi looked at Sano squarely, and the latter got the message. 

"Just joking Aoshi," Sano grinned, waving it off. "Hey, let's all go in, I've got lots of things to tell you about Kenshin. And they're really important..." 

He caught Aoshi's eye at this, who gave him a knowing look as he steered Kenshin inside, carrying his luggage. Aoshi followed in a second, carrying anohter of Kenshin's luggage, ignoring Yawato's attempts to get it from him. 

"So what's this you wanted to tell me?" Kenshin asked very much curious. 

"Well..." 

"He's engaged," Aoshi finished for him, setting down the luggage on the living room carpet.

"Aoshi!! You ruined it!" 

"But that was exactly the message," the older man merely said, turning to his other friend. 

Kenshin? Well... To say that he was surprised would be an understatement. 

"Misao-chan," Kaoru said as she hung her blouses inside the closet. "What do you know of Sano and Aoshi's friend?" 

"Who, Himura?" Misao clarified, smoothing out one of Kaoru's pants. 

Kaoru nodded. 

"Hmm... Well, I suppose you know he's a ship captain," Misao said, thinking. "He's handsome, red hair and violet eyes, although quite short in stature, but he's definitely taller than us both. He's very polite... And... very considerate." 

"He seems so nice..." 

"Himura _is_ nice," Misao stated. "But still I prefer Aoshi-sama over him." 

Kaoru laughed, then proceeded to take out a party dress from her bag. She smoothed out the creases, finding none too major that needed to be ironed. It was an apple green dress, skirt up to the middle of her thighs, to be paired with a white cotton cardigan and white shoes. It would be what she would wear at the party tonight. Turning to Misao, she unfurled the dress and shawl and showed it to her. 

"What do you think?" she asked. "It's not too formal, but Sano didn't say anything about formality." 

The younger girl gave her a thumbs up. 

"Kirei," she smiled. "It'll look good on you." 

"How about you? What will you be wearing tonight?" Kaoru asked. 

"Hmm, something similar," Misao replied thoughtfully. "But I'll probably be wearing pants instead of a skirt." 

"I'm trying to make up for my younger years," Kaoru told her. "People thought too much of me as a tomboy, which is why I'm wearing skirts as much as I can." 

Misao giggled. 

"Well I have no intention of doing that," she replied defiantly. "I'll wear what I like and no one can say anything about it." 

They both laughed. 

Suddenly they heard a muffled ring from under a pile of clothes. All at once Kaoru began to dig through the clothes until she found her cell phone blinking and ringing. She answered it right away. 

"Oro... I still can't believe it," Kenshin blinked as Sano made a phone call. 

"Well you're going to have to Kenshin," Aoshi said. "He really is getting married." 

"But when?" 

"They haven't set a date yet," Aoshi replied. "But I believe it'll be around December, so you can still come." 

Kenshin oro-ed weakly. For some reason he still couldn't believe that Sano, their chicken head, was finally going to get married. He immediately began to wonder who the girl was. According to his two friends, she'll be coming to their reunion that night, and the only clue they gave him about her was that she was Misao's best friend. It was just then that Sano hung up and walked back to the sofa. 

"I just called her," Sano said. "I told her I'll be there in half an hour." 

"Just half an hour?" Kenshin asked quite surprised. 

"Why?" Aoshi questioned. 

"Well, most of my friends call their dates an hour early, since they usually take long to dress," the redhead explained. 

The other two men looked at each other. 

"Well Kamiya-san doesn't take long to dress," Aoshi muttered, but Kenshin caught what he said. 

"So her name's Kamiya?" 

Sano shot a death glare at Aoshi. 

"What's the use of keeping her name from me? I'll know anyway!" Kenshin exclaimed in disbelief. He couldn't believe that his two friends were keeping the name of Sano's fiancé a big secret when he would find out anyway. What the hell?? 

"Alright, so her name's Kamiya Kaoru," Sano sighed. "I'll be picking her up now. There might be traffic going to Misao's place." 

"She's staying there?" Kenshin asked. 

Sano nodded, and walked out of the house. 

"What's with him?" 

There was a hut at the beach that stood off the shoreline, one of the most famous places in the district. To reach the hut itself, you'd have to walk on a bamboo bridge over the salt water. Aoshi and Kenshin arrived at the place with Misao, and once they arrived the place was alive with lights and sounds. They spotted a familiar sports car parked near the entrance as they started walking. 

Misao spotted Sano and Kaoru walking side by side on the bamboo ramp towards the hut, and immediately called after them. They both turned around and she waved at them. Kaoru returned the wave. They both stood still as Misao and company walked up to them. Kaoru noticed someone unfamiliar walking with Misao and Aoshi, and her brows crinkled in confusion. 

"Who's the redhead Sano?" Kaoru asked, her eyes locked on the man beside Aoshi. 

"That's my best bud, Kenshin," Sano replied. 

"Oh... so that's him." 

"Come," Sano said, taking her hand and leading her forward. "I'll introduce you to him." 

"Sano," Kenshin called out. 

"Oi, Kenshin," Sano replied, Kaoru trailing behind him. "Nice you could come." 

"I wouldn't miss this for anything," Kenshin smiled. 

"Meet my girlfriend, Kamiya Kaoru," Sano said, beaming for further effect. "Kaoru, meet Himura Kenshin, my best friend." 

Kaoru smiled at him and bowed politely, but Kenshin seemed transfixed to the spot, unable to move. 

Sano had hit the jackpot this time. In all his life, Kenshin had never met someone as beautiful as her, with long black hair that fluttered gently against the soft sea breeze. She was of medium height, a little smaller than him, with fair skin even visible in the night. And her eyes. They were what captivated him the most. She had the brightest blue eyes, something that Kenshin had never seen before. 

"Nice to meet you Himura-san," Kaoru smiled softly, bowing once more. 

And her voice. And her smile. It was all too much to bear. And he was beginning to believe in love at first sight. 

"Nice to meet you too," Kenshin replied, regaining his composure. "So you are Sano's fiancé. He talks of you often." 

Kaoru giggled a bit and turned to Sano. 

"So shall we go inside? We have a reunion to finish," Sano grinned, taking Kaoru's hand and leading her inside. The rest followed in suit, but Kenshin stood there for a while, thinking. 

"Himura!" he heard Misao call. "Are you coming?" 

"Oro! Hai!" Kenshin called back, walking towards her.

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**Notes**: To be continued! ^^x


End file.
